Festivals in Denver in September 2018

Festivals in Denver in September 2018 include A Taste of Colorado, Oktoberfest celebrations, and the Denver Food & Wine Festival. This month, you can also enjoy Colorado Crush, the Great American Beer Festival, and Festival Italiano.

Read on for a full schedule for this month, as well as additional details about each event.

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A Taste of Colorado

Dates: 9/1-9/3

Location: Civic Center Park, 198 W. Colfax Ave.

One of the best festivals in Denver in September 2017 is A Taste of Colorado, which is held on Labor Day weekend. The stars of this annual downtown event are the more than 50 Colorado restaurants featuring small tastes to full meals. Tickets are sold in strips of 15 for $10 cash.

Others include regional and national artists performing on six free music stages. Main stage headliners include bands such as George Thorogood, Leann Rimes, Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, and Everclear.

Oktoberfest Denver

Dates: 9/21-9/23 & 9/28-9/30

Location: 2100 Larimer St.

Ladies, dress up in your dirndl. Gentlemen, put on your lederhosen. It's time for Oktoberfest Denver, a celebration of all things Bavarian — most importantly, beer. It's one of the festivals in Denver in September that I never miss!

Fill your stein with Franziskaner and Staten varieties. Sorry, no local craft brewers will be here — they couldn't keep up with the drinking demands of the more than half million expected visitors. Be sure not to miss the two-for-one specials during happy hour (Friday 5 - 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon - 2 p.m.). Soak up all that beer with authentic Bavarian food such as bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and sausage.

If you're the competitive type, enter the keg bowling, stein-hoisting, and bratwurst-eating contests. If your dachshund is the competitive one, enter it in the long dog derby, which is always a crowd pleaser.

Festival Italiano

Dates: Sept. 9 and 10

Location: Belmar Shopping District, 464 S. Teller St., Lakewood

If you love all things Italian, you'll love Festival Italiano. It's one of the festivals in Denver in September that celebrates the Italian culture.

Sample Italy's exquisite wines and authentic cuisine. Be entertained at stages showcasing Italian music, dance, and flag wavers from Florence, and keep an eye out for performers strolling the grounds of Belmar. Try your hand at bocce, Italy's version of lawn bowling.

For those wanting to take a piece of Italy home, artisan vendors will be selling authentic Italian merchandise.

Sunnyside Music Festival

Date: 9/8

Location: Chaffee Park, 44th and Tejon Streets

What started out as a small bluegrass festival in 2000 in a couple's backyard in Sunnyside eventually graduated to the neighborhood's Chaffee Park. This free, family-friendly event has the distinction of being the only community-owned, grassroots music festival in Denver.

Performers from previous years include bands such as Grant Sabin, Ido Ziv and Ichi Goomi, Porlolo, Hang Rounders, and Shakedown Street. This is one of the festivals in Denver in September that also offers local food, beer, and activities to entertain the kiddos.

Oktoberfest on South Pearl

Date: 9/29

Location: 1200 - 1900 S. Pearl St.

South Pearl Street always has something fun scheduled — this Sept. 30, it's the Oktoberfest celebration. Come to the street's 1500 block for Denver's low-key version of this annual tradition.

Fill your stein with German beer, savor authentic Bavarian foods, and listen to live music.

Get rolling with some keg bowling, try your hand at the stein-holding contest, and impress your friends with your jousting skills.

Brews & Views Beer Fest

At Brews & Views Beer Fest, you can sample more than 40 craft brews while enjoying gorgeous views at the lush Hudson Gardens.

Local and statewide breweries include Butcherknife Brewing, Colorado Cider Company, Dead Hippie Brewing, Living the Dream Brewing, and Riff Raff Brewing Company. Food vendors will also be on hand.

Hear some live music, play lawn games, and have a relaxing afternoon in a beautiful setting.

Denver Beer Fest

Dates: 9/14-9/22

Location: Denver metropolitan area

One of the most-anticipated festivals in Denver in September is the Denver Beer Fest. You can literally drink your way around town, sampling different beers at participating breweries, tap houses, and restaurants in the metro area.

Events include brewery tours, rare beer tastings, firkin tappings, and beer-paired dinners. You can also test your beer trivia and meet some of the local brewers.

There's also a street party that will include food vendors and plenty of brews to quench your thirst.

Great American Beer Festival

Dates: 9/20-9/22

Location: Colorado Convention Center

Beer lovers rejoice: The Great American Beer Festival is coming to Denver again to quench your thirst for all things beer. With more than 800 breweries pouring 3,800 beers, it's like Beer Heaven.

More than 60,000 attendees it's one of the largest festivals in Denver in September. During the event, you will get the chance to talk with brewers, meet authors, browse the beer-focused bookstore, watch presentations, and sample food pairings created by professional chefs.

Craft brewers from around the world will also compete for bragging rights.

Parker Arts Festival

Dates: 9/22-9/23

Location: O'Brien Park, 10795 Victorian Drive, Parker

Located in one of the country's best art towns, the Parker Fine Arts & Music Festival showcases works by talented artists from around the country. It's another one of the family-friendly festivals in Denver in September.

Beautiful O'Brien Park serves as the festival's home. You'll find plenty of interesting and unique pieces to choose from as a reminder of your trip to Denver.

At the Creation Station, kids of all ages can release their inner artist. Children, especially, will want to visit artists doing face painting.

On the music stage, local blues and folk performers include Ponder the Albatross, Band on the Fence, and Kelly Triplett.

Grandoozy Music Festival

Dates: 9/14-9/14

Location: Overland Park Golf Course, 1801 S Huron St

One of the biggest music festivals in Denver in September is Grandoozy. This festival is a one of a kind in the Denver region and will feature three days of live music at the Overland Park Golf Course.

Headliners this year include Kendrick Lamar, Florence & The Machine, and Stevie Wonder. Other top performers include The Chainsmokers, Logic, Sturgill Simpson and many, many others.

In addition to three days of music, this event is also a food, craft beer, and distilled spirits lovers dream. The Devour Denver experience will include top food for some of Denver's most highly recognized chefs. The Arts + Crafts experience includes locally brewed beer and some of the best local art. The Flight School experience offers you the chance to sample cocktails made from the best craft distilleries in Colorado and beyond. These are just a few of the unique experiences at this year's festival.

Denver Food & Wine Festival

Dates: 9/4-9/9

Location: Auraria Parkway at 7th Street

If you're a foodie or just want to learn more about gourmet food and spirits, the Denver Food & Wine Festival is one of the festivals in Denver in September that you don't want to miss. It brings together the region's best chefs and mixologists on the grounds of Pepsi Center.

Each day of the festival has a special theme: culinary films, cocktails prepared by celebrity bartenders, a five-course meal under the stars, a class on choosing the perfect wine glass, and Sunday brunch in your pajamas.

Saturday is the big day: You can enjoy samples from more than 40 of Denver's top eateries and taste more than 700 wines.

Tickets are required for each event. You'll want to order them early for this popular festival.

Colorado Crush

Larimer Street in the River North (RiNo) art district serves as the canvas for some amazingly talented street artists. These artists from around the globe create urban murals during this week-long celebration.

Starting Sept. 11, you can watch the artists begin their paintings. Be sure to come back on Sept. 17 to see their finished masterpieces. Most murals can be found on Larimer between Broadway and 35th Street.

It's another one of the festivals in Denver in September featuring food, music, and activities that you can enjoy while admiring the artists' incredible creations.

Orchard Arts Festival

Date: 9/15

Location: 3915 W. 73rd Ave., Westminster, Colorado, 80030

The charming and historic Westminster arts district hosts the Orchard Arts Festival each year. This event features booths showcasing art, crafts, sculptures, and recycled art to discover.

Other attractions include a special area where kids can make their own artistic creations and a music stage with performances by artists such as Niva & Kris, Matt Rouch & the Noise Upstairs, and more.

In addition, you can sample a variety of craft beer and wine. On Sunday, get there early so you won't miss the annual fireman's pancake breakfast.

Westword DISH

The Westword DISH event is another one of the great festivals in Denver in September. Held in the Sculpture Park, it dishes up samples from favorite local eateries as determined by Westwood magazine food writers.

Tickets (get them in advance, because it's expected to sell out) give access to unlimited beer, liquor and food samples from more than 40 vendors and a special section that serves up some mouth-watering barbecue. Restaurants attending include Syrup, The Real Dill, Neighbors Wine Bar, Milk & Cake, Frijoles Colorado, and Amore Gelato.